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nola.com Thoughts on the Schedule
Posted on 4/14/09 at 9:27 pm
Posted on 4/14/09 at 9:27 pm
• The Saints will start the season 1-0. The Saints have played 30 home openers in their 42-year history but never one as easy as this. The Detroit Lions didn't win a game last season and will visit New Orleans while trying to master new systems on both sides of the ball with, in all likelihood, a rookie quarterback under center.
• No cold-weather games. For the first time in Sean Payton's tenure, the Saints won't have to play a regular-season game north of the Mason-Dixon Line in December or January.The Saints' three late-season road games are at Washington, Atlanta and Carolina. The Falcons game is obviously in a dome, while Washington D.C. usually experiences decent weather in early December. And the mean temperate in Charlotte in January is a managebale 41 degrees.
• Some good quarterbacks are coming to town. In addition to the annual visits from Matt Ryan and Jake Delhomme, Eli Manning, Tom Brady and Tony Romo will visit. It'll be Brady's first game in the Superdome since he led the Patriots to a 20-17 win against St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI. For Manning, it will be the first time in his NFL career that he's played in his hometown. Brother Payton is 1-1 in the Superdome with the Colts.
• Speaking of quarterbacks, the Saints' revamped pass defense will receive a major break in the early going as it breaks in new coordinator Gregg Williams' scheme. Obviously this could change after the draft, but the opposing starting quarterbacks in the Saints' first four games are, in order, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, Kellen Clemens and Trent Edwards. And don't forget, the Saints might have to play this group without starting defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith, who are facing possible four-game suspensions for violating the league's drug policy.
• The season finale at Carolina is a strong candidate to be picked up for national broadcast. The final seven weeks of the NFL season are subject to flex scheduling and starting times for those games are subject to change. A quick perusal of Week 17 shows the Saints-Panthers contest -- a potential showdown for the NFC South division title -- as one of the sexiest draws, along with the Eagles-Cowboys, Packers-Cardinals, Steelers-Dolphins and Giants-Vikings.
•The Saints will play five games against rookie head coaches: Jim Schwartz (Detroit), Rex Ryan (Jets), Steve Spagnuolo (St. Louis) and Raheem Morris (Tampa Bay, twice).
•Former Saints coach Wade Phillips will bring his Cowboys to the Superdome for a prime-time game Dec. 19 on NFL Network. It will mark the Saints' first prime-time regular-season game played on a Saturday night.
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I'm still imagining how rocking the Dome will be on a Saturday night, against the cowgirls no less!
• No cold-weather games. For the first time in Sean Payton's tenure, the Saints won't have to play a regular-season game north of the Mason-Dixon Line in December or January.The Saints' three late-season road games are at Washington, Atlanta and Carolina. The Falcons game is obviously in a dome, while Washington D.C. usually experiences decent weather in early December. And the mean temperate in Charlotte in January is a managebale 41 degrees.
• Some good quarterbacks are coming to town. In addition to the annual visits from Matt Ryan and Jake Delhomme, Eli Manning, Tom Brady and Tony Romo will visit. It'll be Brady's first game in the Superdome since he led the Patriots to a 20-17 win against St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI. For Manning, it will be the first time in his NFL career that he's played in his hometown. Brother Payton is 1-1 in the Superdome with the Colts.
• Speaking of quarterbacks, the Saints' revamped pass defense will receive a major break in the early going as it breaks in new coordinator Gregg Williams' scheme. Obviously this could change after the draft, but the opposing starting quarterbacks in the Saints' first four games are, in order, Daunte Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, Kellen Clemens and Trent Edwards. And don't forget, the Saints might have to play this group without starting defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith, who are facing possible four-game suspensions for violating the league's drug policy.
• The season finale at Carolina is a strong candidate to be picked up for national broadcast. The final seven weeks of the NFL season are subject to flex scheduling and starting times for those games are subject to change. A quick perusal of Week 17 shows the Saints-Panthers contest -- a potential showdown for the NFC South division title -- as one of the sexiest draws, along with the Eagles-Cowboys, Packers-Cardinals, Steelers-Dolphins and Giants-Vikings.
•The Saints will play five games against rookie head coaches: Jim Schwartz (Detroit), Rex Ryan (Jets), Steve Spagnuolo (St. Louis) and Raheem Morris (Tampa Bay, twice).
•Former Saints coach Wade Phillips will bring his Cowboys to the Superdome for a prime-time game Dec. 19 on NFL Network. It will mark the Saints' first prime-time regular-season game played on a Saturday night.
----------
I'm still imagining how rocking the Dome will be on a Saturday night, against the cowgirls no less!
This post was edited on 4/15/09 at 12:00 am
Posted on 4/14/09 at 10:50 pm to blueslover
Here it is 10:49 at night. Over one hour ago you posted this and not one person wrote a comment. That's a crime. You put up a lot of good points. Great read.
Posted on 4/14/09 at 11:03 pm to Akit1
This is as good of a schedule for the Saints as last years was bad. This is a minimum 10 win schedule. I am looking for 11-5 or 12-4.
Posted on 4/14/09 at 11:14 pm to Gridiron Guru
Compare it to the othe NFC South ones too. The best of them IMO
Posted on 4/14/09 at 11:16 pm to blueslover
Saints will wreck shop this year
Posted on 4/14/09 at 11:40 pm to Pistol...2K4
Honestly I think it will be 9-7 or 10-6, I am splitting the toss-ups and adding the "we better win that game"'s in honestly I don't think there is any team we can't beat but there are alot of toss ups...either way we are in the playoff and you start from scratch there.
Posted on 4/15/09 at 12:06 am to Babychiva
you can't beat having primetime games at home against the pats and cowboys. can't wait.
Posted on 4/15/09 at 12:47 am to blueslover
quote:
No cold-weather games. For the first time in Sean Payton's tenure, the Saints won't have to play a regular-season game north of the Mason-Dixon Line in December or January.
That is KEY!!!
I haven't looked but I can only assume the other 3 teams will be playing those cold weather late season games most likely. At least 2 of the 3 would I would think.
This schedule, as tough as it is, sets up about as good as it could have.
It also sets up for us to possibly get off to a quick start with the top half seemingly easier than the bottom half.
Posted on 4/15/09 at 1:24 am to blueslover
quote:
Compare it to the othe NFC South ones too. The best of them IMO
that's the benefit of finishing in 4th in the NFC South...last year's 8-8 record doesn't seem all that bad anymore.
Posted on 4/15/09 at 8:10 am to Akit1
quote:
Here it is 10:49 at night. Over one hour ago you posted this and not one person wrote a comment. That's a crime. You put up a lot of good points. Great read.
You do realize that this info came from NOLA.com right? hence the title of the thread. Now blues does give some good stuff, don't get me wrong, but this is just a copy and paste trophy here.
Posted on 4/15/09 at 8:13 am to blueslover
quote:
• The Saints will start the season 1-0.
We better not have this attitude going into week 1. I know they didn't win a game last year and we torched the shite out of them. Butttttt, this is the NFL people, where turnarounds can be very fast. Look at the Phins, people were saying this same shite last year and then they go ahead and hook them up with a big fat L.
Just saying, we as posters and the Saints players, should not have this attitude.
Posted on 4/15/09 at 10:16 am to blueslover
quote:
• The Saints will start the season 1-0. The Saints have played 30 home openers in their 42-year history but never one as easy as this
Saints start 0-1 as a result of this article
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